Lady Gaga's Dawn of Chromatica

On September 3, 2021 two weeks after the 13th anniversary of her award winning debut album The Fame, Lady Gaga released one of her most anticipated and ambitious projects to date since Artpop. Dawn of Chromatica takes the concept of a deluxe album and flips it on it's head. Fourteen tracks and a total run time of 49 minuets and 49 seconds not a single moment is wasted. From beginning to end Dawn of Chromatica is truly an experience.

Remix albums certainly aren't new, even so they've fallen out of fashion and I think it's safe to say the most pretentious of people would probably call it "Cheugy." However with the recent Pop music resurgence mixed with the never ending microcosm of 90s and 2000s nostalgia the trend is back and so is Gaga. With the original Chromatica only having three features by some of the biggest names in pop music (including Ariana Grande, Elton John and Kpop superstars BlackPink) Dawn of Chromatica offers a featured artist on every song by some of the most influential and up and coming artists in music. With a fresh experimental sound never before explored by neither Gaga nor many of her fans this album may even illuminate a path to a bright new future for her music and artistry.

With the removal of any intros and interludes this album is stripped down to its bare bones, however the features and remixes add a breath of new life the original should've had. Fans and critics often theorize the performance side of Lady Gaga often impedes on the quality of her music, and I think that certainly applies in this situation. The original recipe Chromatica was more than an album to Lady Gaga, it was an era rife with world building and storytelling and the music came last. However with Dawn of Chromatica, the strongest aspect is the only aspect and that's the music. For most fans and casual listeners of Gaga, Dawn of Chromatica is like nothing they've ever heard before.

Some stand out aspects of the album is the surprising Latin flair brought to the project by Arca and Pabllo Vittar. Arca's remix of Rain On Me (featuring Ariana Grande) offers an experimental electronic sound that almost seems ethereal with a kick of classic reggaeton the Venezuelan artist is known for. While Brazilian native Pabllo Vittar's remix of Fun Tonight is the perfect dreamy Bachata pop mashup the album needs. Almost in perfect succession another track that seemed to be a fan favorite even before its release is Charli XCX and A.G. Cook's 911 Remix. This PC music perfection remix is surprisingly the catalyst for the existence of this album. (rumor has it Charli missed the deadline to be on the original Chromatica album)

Other songs like Plastic Doll (featuring Ashnikko) and the Babylon remix featuring rising pop princess Bree Runway are quickly becoming fan favourites amongst the B-Sides. However major points of contention in the album come from songs like Sour Candy (Featuring BlackPink and Shygirl) and the Sine From Above remix (Featuring Elton John) The Shygirl remix makes fans wonder why 1/2 of BlackPink were taken off the track to make way for some rather underwhelming vocal riffs emulating the original verses from the british singer. However I think the more rap focused verses really save the song and make it sound like what Gaga originally intended. However the Sine From Above remix is certainly a polarizing track that even hardcore fans and casual listeners can all agree misses the mark. I think the flaws really lie in the production of the vocals. With an album like this the "chopping and screwing" of vocals are commonplace, however certain effects put on The Pinball Wizard's voice along with the addition of Lil Texas and Chester Lockhart are enough to leave a bitter after taste in your mouth. Suffice to say, this certainly does not improve on the original whatsoever.

Lastly one of the most presently surprising additions to the project is the Dorian Electra's remix of Replay. One of the many featured artist who also has their hand in the production, the rock and metal forward aspects of her verses on the album are some of the best. Electra is a very polarizing figure currently on the rise in the industry. The future pop artist's solo discography is very love it or hate it. In fact many feel like sometimes Electra is also like Gaga, letting their vision for the performance stand in the way of producing the best product. However this is just one of the many examples that proves Electra is strongest as a feature and when a bit restricted in the creative process. After many jokes from the artist leading up to the album's release Replay is definitely a track that surprised a lot of listeners.

Coming back and looking at this project as a whole it is certainly one of Gaga's best and a whole lot more cohesive than the original Chromatica. Music is one of the most subjective things on the planet and obviously all of the songs can't be perfect but most of the songs on this project simply are. The concept of a remix album featuring so many up and coming artists and producers is exactly what the current cultural and musical landscape needed right now. This album will do so many great things and open up so many more doors for the featured artists and producers. However the question on everyone's mind is, What will this do for Gaga?